The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Starring Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, William Mosely, Tilda Swinton, and Liam Neeson (as the voice of Aslan) Directed by Andrew Adamson (2005) 3 frims out of 5 possible! I've got to say that I wasn't terribly impressed by Narnia . That's not to say that Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a bad movie—far from it—but it isn't a great one, either. In all fairness, Narnia was a most risky endeavor to bring to the screen for a number of reasons: its adult fans have a nearly religious devotion to it, and its stature has grown in their imaginations through the years, turning it into a mythic story it never dreamt of being. Deviate from the book, and the wrath of those fans will rain down upon you.

Don't deviate enough, and you'll end up with a tale that's as unassuming as the book they think they remember. It's a Catch-22. Director Andrew Adamson (his name translates as “Man, Son of Adam”—got to admit that's cool, huh?) managed to slide between those two dangerous possibilities, and instead created a film that wants to have it both ways—a heroic adventure on one hand, and a charming fairy tale on the other. It's more successful on the fairy-tale side. The scenes of the children in England are quite believable, and the two youngest kids, Georgie Henley (Lucy), and Skandar Keynes (Edmund) are simply brilliant in their roles. However, the screenplay never quite draws us in. We never feel they're in danger, whether bombs are falling around them in London, or if an evil witch is pursuing them. I would've liked more time seeing their characters developed. James McAvoy, who gave us one of the best perfomances ever as Leto in Children of Dune, has a pitch-perfect performance as the faun Mr. Tumnus, and his scenes with Lucy are probably the best in the entire movie.

William Moseley (Peter) and Anna Popplewell (Lucy) are under-used, and at 18 and 17 respectively, they may soon become too old for the following movies. The White Witch (Tilda Swinton, fresh off her role in Thumbsucker ) is deliciously evil when we meet her, yet we there's some disappointment in entering her unimposing castle. Springtime for Aslan and Narnia Things further slide when spring comes to Narnia. Yes, you'll believe that beavers and wolves can talk, and Aslan is beautiful and majestic. But his camp is a collision of gaudy red-and-gold tents and costumes, without a hint of dust to be found. The land ends up looking like a garish painting, not a place where a lion might leave his tracks upon the soil. Although it is a children's fairy tale, Lewis told Narnia with humor, passion, and depth, which are all in short supply here. The kids barely react to their fantastic surroundings in Narnia, so we don't either. Furthermore, in spite of their call to ascend the Narnian thrones, there is no believable transformation going on.

A couple of brief scenes are supposed to show the children training to become warriors, but the shots of kids awkwardly swinging around heavy swords are just embarrassing. Without human adults in Narnia, who's going to teach these kids martial arts? The beavers? Lewis described the battle against the White Witch in a couple of short paragraphs. Here, it's like a diet version of a scene in The Lord of the Rings ; for the children it has to be restrained and it is, but for adults, it's awkward and long, all which raises the question of why it needs a massive battle scene at all. And it's a zoological mess. Polar bears, leopards, minotaurs, and phoenixes fight in the same scene. It's as though everything a kid might like is thrown into the mix, just to be sure. Pour in the menagerie and turn on the blender. I'll say little about the spiritual symbolism of Narnia, since entire volumes and dissertations have been written about it. Yes, the symbolism of the book is still there, Aslan still dies, resurrects, and forgives.

However, I winced at the scene in which Peter gives the battle cry For “Narnia and Aslan”. Enough of that. Enough of war “for Jesus,” “for Allah,” “for [insert divine name here]”. Sure, the battle is “not of this world;” it's about the spiritual war, the struggle within our souls to become like Christ, united with God . But now and throughout the ages, we have projected our neighbor as the enemy, instead of our own lack of love. Peter's battle cry doesn't help clarify things for those who confuse them. I like Lewis as much as the next guy, yet I think it's sad that so many Christians can't see the spiritual reflections in any stories but these, when so many stories, intentionally or not, are packed with symbols of spiritual sacrifice, resurrection, and redemption, and often of a much subtler and higher order than this; e.g. Spider-Man 2 , to name just a few. (If you haven't already, I encourage you to check out Hollywood Jesus .

My friend David Bruce taught me how to look at contemporary film with a spiritual eye, and chances are excellent he can do the same for you.) From what I've read, although they were close friends and Lewis admired Tolkien's Middle Earth, Tolkien disliked Lewis' creation, finding it a jumble of beasts and magics with no rhyme or reason other than allegory. There's little sense in it. Why does Narnia need not one, but four monarchs to govern it, when there's no governing to do? And both Cair Paravel and the Witch's castle are so empty they seem little more than places to display thrones. In the books, these aren't problems at all, but simply exercises to use our imaginations even more as the charm unfolds. Yet after $150,000,000 has been spent on the film, I find myself wishing for more depth and plausibility. Adamson could have done better, but largely the problems are with the source material.

The best Narnia adaptaion might have been to leave it very much the children's fairy tale, full of charm and rich, grandfatherly voice-overs from the narrator, but in the age of Aslan | Disney Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia “Wrong will be right when Aslan comes in sight. At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more. When he bears his teeth, winter meets it death. And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” ―Mr. Beaver explaining the endless goodness of Aslan to the Pevensie children Aslan is the Great Lion who is the tritagonist of the live-action film, The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is the Primordial Creator and True King of Narnia , a parallel world full of magic, he created as a replica of his own home, known to the Narnians' as Aslan's Country ; a mysterious and peaceful world similar to the afterlife, the spirit world or Heaven itself.

Contents The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe It is revealed he had been kept at bay by the White Witch , who had taken over Narnia and cursed it into an eternal winter without Christmas, and that only two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve could defeat the Witch and restore peace and harmony to Narnia . When the witch's power began to weaken, Aslan was finally able to return, and tasked a fox with gathering troops for the upcoming war against the witch and her evil forces. It wasn't long before the Pevensies, minus Edmund, had come to Aslan's camp where they met and bowed respectfully before the majestic lion. Aslan had a private talk with Peter, giving him encouragement and advice, when they heard the call of Susan's horn, alerting them that the girls were in danger by Maugrim who met his end by Peter's sword, a brave act for which he was awarded by Aslan with Knighthood, naming him Sir Peter Wolfs-bane.

He sent some soldiers to follow Maugrim's follower to recover Edmund from the Witch's capture and when they succeeded, Aslan had a talk with Edmund about his past offenses, making the boy see the error of his selfish ways, especially after Edmund had seen the consequences his actions had on others. However, the Witch came to Aslan's Camp, demanding Edmund's life per the law of Narnia stating every traitor's life belonged to her in accordance to the Deep Magic on which Narnia was built, threatening unless she had blood as the law demanded, all of Narnia would perish in fire and water. Aslan and Jadis shared a private word in his tent. When the emerged, he announced the Witch had re-announced her claim on Edmund's life but unknown to everyone, at a terrible cost. Aslan snuck out of the camp but was followed by Susan and Lucy whom he allowed to accompany him for a while but told them to go back before it was revealed that Aslan had willingly traded his life for Edmund's and had come to the Stone Table o be willingly sacrificed by the White Witch.

As he approached, Aslan was jeered and mocked by the Witch's forces, knocked down by Otmin, the General of the Witch's army, and had his mane shaved to further humiliate him before he was tied and dragged onto the table where Jadis bent down to mock him before scoffing as she then stated, "So much for love..." As he lay on the table, moments before his death, Aslan saw that Lucy and Susan had not left before they bore witness to his "death" by the Witch's hand. After the White Witch and her army left for battle, Lucy and Susan approached the lifeless body of Aslan and cried into his fur as mice chewed off the ropes binding him. The news of Aslan's death was delivered to Peter and Edmund by a Dryad, convincing them to go to war. In the morning, Susan and Lucy sadly decided to leave but felt the Stone Table crack and gasped to see Aslan's body gone. But as the sun rose, they saw so that Aslan had risen from the dead.

They embraced the lion who explained that there was Deeper Magic, that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery is killed in the traitor's stead, the Stone Table would crack, and even death itself would be reversed. Susan and Lucy urge Aslan they must help Peter and the others, and Aslan tells them to get on his back before he lets out a mighty roar. With the two sisters on his back, Aslan ran all the way to the Witch's castle, empty of all but the Witch's poor victims who'd been turned to stone, including Lucy's friend, Mr. Tumnus the faun whom Aslan brings back to life by breathing on him, and proceeds to do so with the rest of the petrified victims to be rallied as reinforcements. He leads them all to the Battle of Beruna, turning the tide against Jadis and her forces, and Aslan charges into the fray and finds the Witch about to kill Peter. He makes it in time, saving Peter's life as he pounces on the Witch.

They stare into each other's eyes for a moment before Aslan mauls her to death, proclaiming to Peter, "It is finished." At the great castle, Cair Paravel, Aslan oversees the Pevensies' coronation, proclaiming them all Kings and Queens of Narnia, before he vanishes. Though Lucy was sad to see him go, Mr. Tumnus promises her they'll see him again, that one day he will be there and the next day he won't; as he was not a tame lion. Prince Caspian In the second movie, Lucy claims to have seen Aslan twice, and that he intended for her and the others to follow him. He later appears in a dream of Lucy's and explained that things do not happen the same way twice, which explained why he did not make himself known to anyone but her. When Lucy was later sent off on her own, Aslan himself finally appeared before her and chased away the Telmarines that were attacking her. After they disappeared, Aslan and Lucy shared a fond embrace. He accompanied her to where the final showdown between Peter, Susan, Edmund, Caspian, and the evil Miraz was taking place near the vast sea.

When the soldiers came toward him, Aslan let out a great and mighty roar that conjured up a massive, human-like sea creature that made short work of Miraz and his entire army. With the battle finally over, he ordered that all royals rise, including Caspian. He assured the young prince that was indeed ready and that Narnia would accept him as their king. Near an ancient tree, Aslan promised the surviving Telmarines that, if they chose, he could send them to the real world to make a new start, or live on in peace with the rest of the Narnians. After talking privately with Peter and Susan, he confessed that they had already learned enough while being in Narnia and that they will not be returning. He opens the portal for Lucy and the others back to where came from in the train station. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Aslan appeared where Eustace was, who was magically transformed into a bronze dragon. Utilizing the incredible healing power of his mighty and powerful roar, he reversed the transformation, restoring the boy to his original human form.

Later, he expressed his gratitude in how far Edmund and Lucy had come in their adventures.The mouse, Reepicheep , was honored to be in the presence of Aslan himself, and that he would be glad to go see his, Aslan's, country for himself. Aslan agreed, and opened a path in the sea's waters to where Reepicheep departed for the other side of the world. Aslan then turned to Lucy, who came to realize that this was her and Edmund's last time in Narnia; to which the great lion admits is true, as she and her brother have grown up; just like Susan and Peter . He assured a saddened Lucy that he had another name in the real world; and that he would always be with them, no matter where he was. The Silver Chair Aslan will appear as a major supporting character to aid Eustace and his new friend, Jill Pole, who have come to Narnia to help the new king defeat an even greater and more dangerous adversary; a sorceress by the name of the Lady of the Green Kirtle who claimed to rule all of Narnia until she is defeated by Eustace Scrubb and his friend Jill Pole.

The Last Battle Aslan himself appears in the final installment of The Chronicles of Narnia series. However, he disappeared again for some time and is cruelly impersonated by a talking, shapshifting donkey named Puzzle who seeks to dishonor his name so that all Narnians would believe that the Great Lion bodes ill to all. Trivia Aslan's name is Turkish for "lion," hence what kind of animal he is. Aslan was C. S. Lewis' representation of the mighty Jesus Christ himself. Many parallels exist between the two. For one, Aslan's death and resurrection refers to Jesus's crucifixion and return to life. Also the reasons are parallel; Aslan died to save Edmund while Jesus died to save people from their sins. Another one is their very own sacred homeland; Aslan resides in Aslan's Country while Jesus resides in Heaven. In the Apocrypha of the Bible in Esdras 2, there's a lion who speaks like man during the seer's vision of the eagle. After being approached for the role, actor Liam Neeson went on a safari with his family to study the lions and to figure out why they are called the kings of the jungle.

He also did this in order to find a fitting voice for Aslan. Aslan - NarniaWeb Aslan 6 Portrayals Bio Info Titles: The Great Lion, the Son of the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea (or Over-the-Sea), the King Above All High Kings, the great Bridge Builder, "Myself" (He is said to have nine names, but not all of them are given in the Chronicles) Age: Eternal, as Aslan has knowledge of the Deeper Magic from before the Dawn of Time Species: Talking Lion, though He can appear in any form that He wishes (such as an albatross, a lamb, and a cat in Narnia) Home: Aslan's Country, beyond the sea, the eastern end of the world Physical Description: Aslan looks like a regular lion, but His size varies at will First Appearance: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Ch. 12 (1950), first referenced in Ch. 7 Appearances ~ The Magician's Nephew ~ (1955) Digory , Polly , Frank , Uncle Andrew , and Queen Jadis have the honor of witnessing Aslan's creation of Narnia.

They come to an empty world, but it does not remain empty for long. The Lion appears and sings Narnia into being. Horrified by the song, Jadis throws the bar of a lamppost from London at the Lion's head, but it has no effect. Aslan then gives the gift of speech to some of the creatures He has created. He bequeaths to them the land of Narnia and instructs them to treat the Dumb Beasts gently. And yet all is not perfect in this new creation. Uncle Andrew is terrified of the animals and especially the Lion, as he cannot understand their speech and hears only the sounds that animals make in our world. Aslan finally puts Uncle Andrew to sleep, as it is "the only gift he is still able to receive." Aslan tells Digory that he must undo the wrong he had done (bringing evil, Jadis , into Narnia). He gives Digory instructions about where he could find an apple to provide the seed for the Tree of Protection, and then turns Strawberry into the winged horse Fledge for Digory to ride. When Digory returns, he plants an apple near the river and it quickly grows into the Tree of Protection.

As long this Tree flourishes, Aslan tells the Narnians, the Witch will not be able to come within a hundred miles of it. When Digory humbly asks to take an apple home to cure his sick mother, Aslan grants his request. After the Tree is Planted, Aslan crowns Frank and his wife Helen the first king and queen of Narnia. ~ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ~ (1950) When the Pevensies hear the name of Aslan for the first time, they experience feelings of awe, joy, excitement, and (in Edmund 's case) horror. An old Narnian prophecy says that "Wrong will be right when Aslan comes in sight / At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more / When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death / And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again." After one hundred years of the White Witch 's winter, Aslan's coming heralds spring as the snow begins to melt. The Pevensies and the Beavers first meet Him at the Stone Table, where Aslan knights Peter after he kills the Wolf Maugrim .

After Edmund is rescued, the White Witch requests an audience with Aslan and tries to claim Edmund by citing the Deep Magic (which states that all traitors belong to her). Aslan negotiates with her privately and offers his own life in return for Edmund 's. The Witch accepts this offer and renounces her claim on Edmund 's blood. Late that night, Aslan sets out for the Stone Table once again, and Susan and Lucy accompany Him. There, Aslan is bound on the Table and killed by the Witch . After she and her army have gone, the girls weep over the dead Lion's body. But as the sun rises, the Table cracks and Aslan returns to life. He explains that there is a Deeper Magic that says "when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards." The girls ride on Aslan's back as He runs to the White Witch 's house. There, Aslan breathes on the statues and restores them to life. Then He leads them to Beruna, where the Narnians are battling the Witch 's army.

With a roar that shakes all Narnia, Aslan leaps upon the Witch and kills her. After the battle, He makes Edmund a knight for his heroism. Days later, in Cair Paravel, Aslan crowns the Pevensies kings and queens of Narnia. In the middle of the celebration, He slips away, and is not seen again for a number of years. ~ The Horse and His Boy ~ (1954) During the Golden Age of Narnia when the four Pevensies are reigning in Cair Paravel, the baby Prince Cor ( Shasta ) of Archenland is kidnapped by a former advisor of his father, King Lune . When King Lune 's ships catch up to them, Shasta is set in a boat with a knight to escape, and Aslan Himself pushes the boat so that it comes to the country of Calormen where a fisherman sits to receive it. This simple act sets in motion events that will eventually save Archenland. As Shasta and the Talking Horse Bree make their escape from Calormen to Narnia, they encounter what they believe to be multiple lions (but which are actually just one).

In this way Aslan causes them to meet Aravis , a Calormene princess, and her companion, the Talking Horse Hwin . After Shasta gets through the city of Tashbaan and has to spend the night at the Tombs of the Ancient Kings, the Lion roars to keep the jackals away. He also takes the form of a cat and comforts Shasta that night. Later in the journey, as the company struggles to reach Anvard to warn them of Rabadash 's attack, Aslan chases them once again and gives the horses the new strength of fear so that Shasta can reach King Lune in time. Shasta feels that he is the most unfortunate person in the entire world, but the Lion appears to him and explains the purposes behind the events in his life. Aslan also appears to Bree , Aravis , and Hwin who are staying with the Hermit . Aslan tells Hwin that great joy would be hers since she came willingly to Him. He corrects Bree 's belief that He is not a real Lion, and explains to Aravis why He gave her the scars on her back.

Aslan appears at Prince Rabadash 's trial and, after giving him many chances to repent, changes him into a donkey. ~ Prince Caspian ~ (1951) Hundreds of years after the defeat of the White Witch , many Old Narnians wonder if Aslan and the Pevensies ever existed. Narnia is now ruled by the Telmarines, a race descended from pirates from Earth who found one of the entrances to Narnia. As the Pevensies and the Dwarf Trumpkin travel through the Black Woods trying to reach Aslan's How, Lucy sees Aslan leading them in a different direction. But Lucy is the only one who can see Him, and only Edmund believes her. That night, Lucy meets Aslan and He tells her that she must follow Him, even alone if necessary. The others cannot see Aslan, but they reluctantly agree to follow Lucy . Aslan becomes visible to them one by one as He leads them to the Stone Table where Caspian and the Old Narnians wait. Before the boys go in to the How, Aslan tosses Trumpkin up in the air several times (catching him carefully each time) to convince the Dwarf of His reality.

After this experience, Trumpkin never reverts to his cynicism about Aslan or any of the old stories again. Aslan roars (causing quite a stir in the Telmarine camp), and calls Bacchus and Silenus to begin the Romp. The next morning, Aslan tells Lucy and Susan to ride on His back as they had so long ago. Aslan begins the renewing of Narnia by ordering Bacchus to destroy the Bridge of Beruna and free the River-God (cutting off the Telmarines' escape). Aslan and His followers sweep through Narnia, liberating all in their path, until they come to the place where Caspian's old nurse lay dying. Aslan cures her and she joins their forces. After the second Battle of Beruna, the Mice bring their wounded leader, Reepicheep , to Aslan. After seeing what "great hearts" the Mice have, Aslan grants Reepicheep a new tail. Then Aslan commands Peter to bestow the Knighthood of the Order of the Lion upon Caspian .

The next day, Aslan gives the remaining Telmarines a choice to either stay in Narnia or go back to Earth if they do not wish to stay. He also tells Peter and Susan that they are now too old to come back to Narnia. ~ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ~ (1952) Aslan does not appear in this story until Eustace is transformed into a dragon on Dragon Island and needs the Lion to restore him. Aslan leads Eustace in his dragon-form to a pool and tells him to undress (remove his dragon skin). Eustace is unable to do this, so Aslan digs His claws deep into Eustace 's scales, rips them off, and throws him into the water. When Eustace surfaces, he is again in his human form. It was not until he talks to Edmund that Eustace realizes it was Aslan that he had seen. When the Dawn Treader reaches Deathwater Island, the group sights Aslan as they are quarrelling over the water that could change objects into gold. The Lion suddenly appears, even bigger than they remember Him, and the quarrel is forgotten.

When they come to the island of the Duffers, Lucy recites a spell to make things visible, and suddenly Aslan appears behind her. He introduces her to Coriakin the Magician and then disappears once again to visit Trumpkin the Dwarf at Cair Paravel. When Lucy cries out to Aslan for help in the Dark Island, He comes to them in the form of an albatross and leads them out of the darkness. When the Dawn Treader reaches the world's end, King Caspian wants to go with Reepicheep to Aslan's Country, but Aslan appears to him in his cabin and tells him he must return to Narnia. The Pevensies, Eustace , and Reepicheep must go on. Edmund , Lucy , and Eustace row to shore where they see a Lamb. It changes into the Lion, Aslan. He tells Edmund and Lucy that they will not be returning to Narnia, but that there was a way into His country from all worlds.

~ The Silver Chair ~ (1953) Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole have just been calling to Aslan to allow them to enter Narnia when they are discovered by the bullies of Experiment House, their boarding school. While they are trying to escape, they open a door that is usually locked and are amazed to see another world stretching before them. They plunge into that world, where Eustace accidentally falls from a high cliff. The Lion suddenly appears and blows him to Narnia. Aslan then tells Jill that they would not have been calling to Him if He had not been calling to them, and He has brought them into Narnia to find the lost Prince Rilian . He gives Jill four Signs to guide them and blows her to Narnia as He did Eustace . By the time Jill , Eustace , and the Marshwiggle Puddleglum reach Harfang (home of the Gentle Giants), Jill has forgotten the Signs. Aslan appears to her in a dream and tells her to repeat them. When she cannot, He carries her to the window to see the words "UNDER ME" carved on the hillside, showing them that they must look for the prince underneath the ruined city.

After Rilian is found and his father, King Caspian X , dies, Aslan tells Eustace and Jill that He would send them home. But first He takes them to His own country where they see Caspian lying dead. After a drop of blood from the Lion's paw falls over him, Caspian awakens, looking like his younger self. Aslan then opens the door into Experiment House, and the sight of Him terrifies the bullies and teachers there. When the police come and see nothing but the Headmistress panicking and talking about a lion, there is an inquiry into the whole business. The Headmistress is removed, ten people are expelled, and Experiment House becomes a decent school. ~ The Last Battle ~ (1956) In the last days of Narnia, Shift the Ape starts a rumor that Aslan is in Narnia.

Using a lion-skin and Puzzle the Donkey, he manages to persuade most of the Narnians that this is true, and that Tash (the Calormene god) and Aslan are actually the same person — "Tashlan." When King Tirian meets Tash face-to-face inside the stable, Tash is commanded to leave "in the name of Aslan." Aslan later appears to the friends of Narnia and shows them that the Dwarfs "would not be taken in." Then, so loudly that it could have shaken the stars, Aslan shouts that it is TIME. He calls all the creatures of that world to the doorway. When some of them look upon Aslan, fear comes into their faces, and they cease to be Talking Beasts. But others see Aslan's face and love Him, and come inside. Then the sun is put out, and Narnia (or, "the shadowlands") is ended. Aslan tells all the Narnians that, at last, they have come to stay with Him forever. And after that, He no longer appears as a Lion to them.

As Lewis writes at the end of the tale, "And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has ever read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before." About Aslan Who's Aslan? Why, don't you know? He's the King—the King of the whole wood, and the Son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. He's wild, you know. If there's anyone who can appear before him without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly. He isn't safe... But he is good. He'll often drop in, only you musn't press him to stay. He's not like a tame lion. Yes, Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.

— The Chronicles of Narnia Aslan is the creator of Narnia and the only character to appear in all seven of the Chronicles of Narnia. In some of the books, He only has a few brief appearances, but He is referenced in almost every chapter and is always a significant player in the story. His very name causes people to experience intense emotions. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the sound of Aslan's name gives the traitor Edmund a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter feels suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan feels as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. Lucy gets the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer. After her winter is destroyed, the White Witch threatens to kill the next person who mentions the name of Aslan. Before he becomes a dragon, Eustace hates the name. When Jill first hears it, she says, "What a curious name!" But Eustace replies, "Not half so curious as Himself." One of the most interesting aspects of Aslan's character is that He can be both loving and terrifying. In Ch.

12 of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis writes, "People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan's face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn't look at him and went all trembly." Nothing has ever harmed the Great Lion except with His consent. When Jadis throws a metal bar from a lamppost at Aslan, it bounces off and falls harmlessly to the ground. After King Caspian X dies and enters Aslan's Country, the Lion asks Eustace to drive a thorn into His paw, and a large drop of blood splashes over the King and awakens him. And of course, Aslan allows Himself be bound on the Stone Table where the White Witch kills Him with her stone knife. But even then, Aslan does not remain dead. He has knowledge of a Deeper Magic which the White Witch did not know.

As it says in The Last Battle, it was by His blood that all Narnia was saved. Inspiration In the late 1940s, C. S. Lewis began to have nightmares about lions (one in particular with a "big personality"). When Lewis first began writing the Chronicles, he admits that he did not know where the story would go. But then, "Aslan came bounding in." (Aslan is the Turkish word for lion.) Lewis says, "When I started The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I don't think I foresaw what Aslan was going to do and suffer. I think He just insisted on behaving in His own way." An 11-year-old girl named Hila wrote to Lewis and asked what Aslan's other name in our world was (mentioned in VDT). Here is Lewis' response: "As to Aslan's other name, well I want you to guess. Has there never been anyone in this world who (1.) Arrived at the same time as Father Christmas. (2.) Said he was the son of the great Emperor. (3.) Gave himself up for someone else's fault to be jeered at and killed by wicked people.

(4.) Came to life again. (5.) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb... Don't you really know His name in this world? Think it over and let me know your answer!" Of course, a widely discussed topic is the similarities between Aslan and Jesus Christ. In a letter to a young girl named Sophia, Lewis writes, "I don't say. 'Let us represent Christ as Aslan.' I say, 'Supposing there was a world like Narnia, and supposing, like ours, it needed redemption, let us imagine what sort of Incarnation and Passion and Resurrection Christ would have there.'" Quotes "Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters." (MN, Ch. 9) "Rise up, Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane. And, whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword." (LWW, Ch. 12) "Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen. Bear it well, Sons of Adam! Bear it well, Daughters of Eve!" (LWW, Ch.

17) "I tell no one any story but his own." (HHB, Ch. 11) "Do not dare not to dare. Touch me. Smell me. Here are my paws, here is my tail, these are my whiskers. I am a true Beast." (HHB, Ch. 14) "Ah! You have conquered me. You have great hearts." (PC, Ch. 15) "You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve. And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth." (PC, Ch. 15) "But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river. But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder." (VDT, Ch. 16) "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there." (VDT, Ch.

16) "I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms." (SC, Ch. 2) "You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you." (SC, Ch. 2) "Now it is time! Time! TIME. " (LB, Ch. 13) "Come further in! Come further up!" (LB, Ch. 14) "The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning." (LB, Ch. 16) Portrayals Liam Neeson (voice): Disney/Walden The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2005; Prince Caspian, 2008; Fox/Walden The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 2010 Born: 7 July 1952 "The character of Aslan was probably the hardest to cast. He's an omnipotent character, he has to be, you know, powerful, untouchable, and at the same time be sympathetic and vulnerable.

You don't want Him to be so strong and so omnipotent that at the point where He gives over Himself and gives His life, you don't feel sympathy for Him. Liam is just someone who has one incredible resonance and depth to his voice. I mean he has a voice that you can see coming out and hear coming out of a lion. He had the warmth in his voice that would draw you to him. When he turns fierce and shouts at the White Witch, it is a roar. It is a danger that he's able to project, that's why I think he was perfect for this character." — Director Andrew Adamson David Suchet (voice): Focus on the Family Radio Theater, 1999 – 2002 Ronald Pickup (voice): BBC TV series, 1988 – 1990 Ailsa Berk/William Todd Jones/Timothy M. Rose (puppeteers): BBC TV series, 1988 – 1990 Stephen Thorne (voice): BBC Radio Tales of Narnia Stephen Thorne (voice): LWW TV animated film, 1979 Bernard Kay: LWW TV series, 1967

Question: In the film 'The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe', who is the voice of 'Aslan'?
Answer: LIAM NEESON